dbcve.org
IndesignApplication · Adobe

CVE-2024-39392

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-02
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 18.5.3 / 19.4 or later.
See remediation →
81/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
InDesign Desktop versions ID18.5.2, ID19.3 and earlier are affected by a Heap-based Buffer Overflow vulnerability that could result in arbitrary code execution in the context of the current user. Exploitation of this issue requires user interaction in that a victim must open a malicious file.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Heap-based buffer overflow vulnerability in Adobe InDesign Desktop versions ID18.5.2, ID19.3 and earlier allows arbitrary code execution when a user opens a specially crafted malicious .indd file. The vulnerability operates in the context of the current user and requires user interaction (opening a malicious file) for exploitation.

MitigationUpdate Adobe InDesign to the latest patched version. Avoid opening .indd files from untrusted or unknown sources until the update is applied.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
IndesignApplication
Affected:< 18.5.3>= 19.0, < 19.4

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
Required
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Verify Adobe InDesign installation exists
    Check for the presence of Adobe InDesign installation directory (typically at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe InDesign or C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Adobe InDesign on Windows, or /Applications/Adobe InDesign on macOS). Alternatively, look for InDesign in the list of installed applications.
    Affected if Adobe InDesign is installed on the system
  2. Determine installed InDesign version number
    On Windows: Right-click the InDesign executable (ID.exe) in the installation folder, select Properties, and check the Details tab for Product Version. On macOS: Control-click the Adobe InDesign application, select Get Info, and check the Version field. Alternatively, open InDesign and go to Help > About Adobe InDesign.
    Affected if The displayed version falls within the affected ranges (< 18.5.3 or >= 19.0 and < 19.4)
  3. Confirm vulnerability applicability
    The vulnerability requires opening a malicious .indd file. Check whether users have the ability to open .indd files from external or untrusted sources, or inspect email/gateway filters for .indd file handling policies.
    Affected if Users can open .indd files from untrusted sources and the installed version is within the affected ranges

A user is affected if Adobe InDesign is installed with a version number less than 18.5.3, or between 19.0 and 19.3 inclusive, and the system can open .indd files from potentially untrusted sources.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 18.5.3 / 19.4 or later
Fixed in 18.5.319.4
Interim mitigation

Update Adobe InDesign to the latest patched version. Avoid opening .indd files from untrusted or unknown sources until the update is applied.

Recommended fix High confidence

InDesign 18.5.3 or 19.4 (depending on your major version)

  1. Close all running instances of Adobe InDesign
  2. Navigate to the Adobe security update page at helpx.adobe.com for CVE-2024-39392
  3. Download InDesign version 18.5.3 (for InDesign 18.x users) or version 19.4 (for InDesign 19.x users)
  4. Run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the update
  5. Restart InDesign after the update is installed

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Indesign Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing2.0 h
  • Review / QA1.0 h
7.0 hours of engineering $1,240
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $1,984.

Scan for this in your stack

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-39392 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data